Emerge: The Awakening (21 page)

“There’s a small cavern up here,” Liam announced.

“Oh, thank God!” She surged ahead as the ceiling began to rise. She scrambled into the room, but her relief was short lived. She choked on embarrassed sobs, wanting nothing more than to go home.

Familiar arms wrapped around her, and as much as she wanted to curl against his chest and accept the comfort he offered, she fought his influence.

“Lex, calm down.” Aidan forced her to meet his gaze in the darkness.

She fell apart at the seams, utterly heartbroken when she caught a tiny glimpse of her best friend.

“I’m sorry!” She was humiliated by the pathetic whimper that escaped her.

Aidan held her close and his familiar earthy scent calmed her more than his gift could have.

“You have to stop forgetting you’re Immortal. There’s nothing for you to fear down here.”

“Aidan, she just found out who she is,” Imogen scolded. “Don’t force her, she needs time.”

“It’s getting hard to breathe, guys.” Liam wheezed. “We better keep moving.”

“Ming sealed this up tight,” Jin said. “It isn’t natural for the air to be so thin.”

“Oh, I think she’s trying to teach me something,” Quinn laughed. “She wants me to pull oxygen into the cave.”

“Give it a shot, son.” Daniel’s face was sweaty and his voice shook from the effort to breathe.

As Quinn concentrated, the air stirred and Allie felt a cool, oxygen rich breeze flood their cramped quarters.

“Thank you.” She breathed deeply.

“That’s why we do this!” Daniel beamed. “When we’re in the safety of our training sessions, it’s often difficult to get results, but when we’re faced with a challenge, we can make astounding progress. Quinn has been trying for weeks to manipulate gasses and liquids and hasn’t been able to do it, until now.”

Allie nodded. She understood, but it didn’t make this any less terrifying.

“Come on.” Liam urged her toward the tunnel.

“No. I live here now.”

“We’re almost there, sweetheart.” He chuckled.

“Liar.” She reluctantly crawled away from what felt like freedom into the cold blackness of her worst nightmare.

All too soon, Allie was belly crawling through the darkness. She found it difficult to breathe with the pressure of a mountain at her back. Still she inched forward, following the sound of Liam’s voice. Allie was hardly aware of anything but the crushing weight above them. She couldn’t stop thinking about what it might be like to be trapped. Unable to move, and worse, unable to die.

“Allie,” Liam said. “The path gets quite narrow up here, just before it turns into a deep shaft. We’ll be climbing soon.”

She continued to slither through the most difficult passage yet. The rock shelf slanted sharply to the floor, leaving only a few inches to maneuver. With her arms stretched above her, she moved her head and shoulders through the narrow gap and saw the larger tunnel above. The air was fresher, and she gulped deeply, but the tight bands of stone constricted her lungs and she couldn’t move. She sobbed as stars danced in her vision. She was going to pass out.

“Little one,” Liam murmured. “You must calm down. We’ll get you out. Aidan’s going to push and I’m going to pull, but I need you to slow your breath.”

Allie did as he said, stifling her sobs. As Aidan pushed and Liam pulled, the shifting rock tore at her body until she was bloody, but free. Liam dragged her into the vertical chute where she was finally able to stand and take a few deep breaths. She trembled so violently, she wasn’t sure she could go on.

“Alright, Allie. Climb up to me so we can keep moving.”

She grasped his hand and braced her back against one side of the shaft and her feet against the other, inching her way up to him.

“Lex, how did you do this?” Aidan struggled through the tight space.

“How many times do I have to tell you, don’t call me Lex!” she growled, reaching for his hand to help him up.

“Nephew, it’s been my experience if a woman doesn’t like a certain nickname, you’d better not use it.”

“Ahh, who asked you, Liam?” Aidan grumbled as they inched their way up the shaft to make room for the others.

“Looks like one more tight squeeze and we’re through!”

Allie watched in the dim light as Liam disappeared. She was suddenly alone at the top with nothing above her but the stone ceiling. She couldn’t see where he had gone and started to panic. She frantically searched for an opening. Aidan grabbed her hands, gently tracing her palms with the pad of his thumb, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Why are you doing this to me?” She felt tears prick her eyes.

When he looked up at her, she could feel his pain. “Allie, I—” but Liam reappeared and she realized what she thought was the ceiling was just a ledge. How he got through by himself, she had no idea.

“Come on, I’ll pull you through. This one might hurt.”

With her arms over her head, she maneuvered into the awkward space, crying out when her left ear ripped away from her scalp. With head and shoulders through the narrow gap, she continued to struggle and wiggle to no avail. She was stuck and couldn’t catch her breath. Liam pulled until her lower ribs snapped like toothpicks and she scrambled out. She winced, desperately trying to draw a breath.  

“Almost there, sweetheart.” Liam pulled her into a careful hug. The cave wasn’t as narrow here and she was able to inch past him. “The worst is over. Go on and rest. I have to go help the others. Will you be okay?”

“Go,” she whispered hoarsely. “I’ll be fine.”

Allie crawled until she felt soft green grass beneath her and warm sunshine at her back. She curled into a ball and shook with relief. Aidan eased up beside her and pulled her into his arms.

“No!” She pushed him away. “Not if you’re going to go back to hating me!”

“I don’t hate you. I just can’t. It hurts too much. Here, let me help.” He offered. “I can’t heal you fully, but I can alleviate the pain. If you’ll allow me?”

She nodded as he pressed her ribs with his cool hands. She sensed his power seeping into her bones. It went against the grain to allow it, but with the odd sensation of her ribs slipping back into place, the burning ache diminished. 

“There. Now let me look at that ear.”

She cringed as he prodded her mangled ear, but the pain vanished at the touch of his gift.

“Aidan!” A small trickle of blood oozed from his nose. “Don’t push yourself so hard.”

“I don’t mind the challenge.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Don’t cry, Allie, I’m not worth it.”

Jin stumbled onto the lawn with Imogen close behind, and soon everyone was out. Allie wasn’t the only one with broken ribs, scrapes, and bruises. Aidan was busy tending Sasha and Quinn too. She finally took her first tentative steps, relishing the sun’s rays that were like a balm to her ragged emotions.

Liam was laughing with the boys and drinking ice-cold water left for them at the checkpoint with their second flag. She was so thirsty and her throat so dry, she snatched the bottle and drained it in three long gulps.

“Allie, no!” Sasha cried.

“What?” She stared down at the empty bottle with the odd yellow label stuck to the plastic.

“How much did you drink, Liam?” Imogen asked.

“Nearly half!”

“What’d I do this time?” Allie sighed.

“You should be writhing in agony!” Liam glared.

“I can’t believe we all forgot to tell her,” Jin said.

“No one drinks after me! That’s why I keep the yellow stickers on everything!” Liam spat. “Allie, you can’t get close to me unless I’m prepared, you cannot be near me if I’m upset and you most certainly cannot eat or drink after me. Most Immortals instinctively keep their distance! What’s wrong with you?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I’m poisonous, Allie,” he said gently, taking a moment to get his temper in check. “I’m fatal to mortals when I choose, and Immortals become violently ill for days when they get too close. How are you not affected? You’re a powerful girl, but you should have seized before you finished the first sip.”

“I didn’t know.”

“He isn’t mad at you, kid,” Jin said. “He’s confused. You’re either extremely lucky or you’re an anomaly and have thwarted two thousand years of his experience.”

“Liam, take a walk and calm down,” Scott said. “We need a break anyway.”

“Here, sit. Eat. I’ll explain.” Darius shoved a few protein bars and a bottle of water into Allie’s hands. She sank to the ground beside him.

“Most Immortals sense he is dangerous. But he marks everything with those yellow dots so we’ll know to stay away. His poison is potent and I’m pretty sure we’ve all been affected at some point or another.” 

“But, I was just behind him all through the tunnels and he even hugged me when we reached the end.”

“He has perfect control, but he has to concentrate every waking moment. Liam’s had a hard life. He blames himself when something like this happens and right now he’s probably just freaking about scaring you. He needs to regain his composure before he can come back to us.”

“So, how am I not sick?”

“I have no idea,” Liam said, standing at the edge of the grassy slope, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “I have always thought one person would be immune to my poison.” He ventured a little closer. “I have long hoped that my Complement would be someone I could finally connect with. I said when we first met there was something familiar about you…” Liam trailed off uncertainly.

“DUDE, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” Aidan roared, anger blazing in his eyes.

“Liam, what exactly are you saying?” Imogen asked cautiously.

“WHOA! BACK UP!” Allie jumped to her feet.

“No, no,” Liam laughed. “That is impossible. My Complement was born two centuries ago. ”

Allie collapsed in relief and Aidan managed an irritable grunt.

“Shall I clarify?” he grinned. “I’ve always hoped my Complement would be immune, but I never dreamed anyone else could be. It must be your power. Or it could just be a fluke, and you got lucky.” He shrugged. “We will have to experiment. I am sorry I scared you, little one,” he said softly, “but heaven help the man who is your Complement. He’ll certainly have his hands full.” He winked causing Allie to flush scarlet.

“Come on, guys, we’re losing time and we only have two flags!” He clapped loudly, urging them to get their minds back on the game. “Our next challenge will take place at the bottom of the hill, so let’s go!” They ran swiftly down the path to the clearing where the judges waited for them in a small dirt arena.

“Alright, red team!” Gregg roared with a huge grin. “You’re all looking a little rougher than the last time I saw you.”

“Do we?” Allie sneered. “Do we really? I can’t imagine why?” She blustered as the blue team stumbled into the arena, looking only marginally worse.

“Okay guys, this one’s simple.” Aide stood to address the group. “You’ll compete in a one-on-one challenge. Winner gets the flag and the loser gets a disadvantage. You will decide as a team who will compete. You may send your oldest or strongest, your youngest or your smartest; it is up to you. My only suggestion is to send me your best boxer.”

“Not it!” Allie glared, daring them to pick her.

“You’re easily the best among us,” Jin insisted.

“How is that remotely possible?”

“I’ve never even trained as a boxer.” Hélène took a step back from the group.

“Neither have I,” Liam added.

“You’re two-thousand
freaking
years old! How have you not trained in everything?”

“Never found the time.” He smirked.

“Sorry, I’m afraid I’m no help on this one either.” Darius winked. “Go get em, Killer.’”

“No, Jin, please!”

“You’ve trained with Ming. Sorry, kid, but you’re the best by far. I’m confident you’ll do well if you don’t let your head get in the way. For God’s sake, don’t be afraid to fight aggressively.”

She stepped forward, unable to fathom how she could be the best they had to offer.

Erin joined her to represent the blue team and Allie was only slightly relieved she wouldn’t have to face someone a hundred times older. As they took their places at the center of the dirt ring, she noticed Erin was trembling.

I’m so not scary.
She smiled at the irony.

Erin was the first to strike with an impulsive roundhouse kick that caught Allie’s shoulder with a painful jolt.

She watched her opponent’s confidence grow.
She thinks she’s got me!
Allie regrouped, moving into a defensive crouch. She thwarted Erin’s rear-crossing jab and took a step back, hoping for a moment’s respite, but she didn’t get it. Allie attempted a fast uppercut, but didn’t put much force behind it. She didn’t want to hurt the girl. She didn’t even know her.

When she sparred with Aidan, it was different. He was her equal, but Erin wasn’t in the same league and it just didn’t seem right. But she was ruthless—and fast! Erin landed an unexpected blow to her face and Allie felt cartilage snap.  Pain blossomed behind her eyes as blood poured from her nose.